Gowda clears stance on his remarks against khaps

Nearly a month after khap mahapanchayat demanded unconditional apology from Union law minister DV Sadananda Gowda for his reported anti-khap remarks, the minister has sought to clear his stance over the issue.

Nearly a month after khap mahapanchayat demanded unconditional apology from Union law minister DV Sadananda Gowda for his reported anti-khap remarks, the minister has sought to clear his stance over the issue.

Gowda, who was talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the inauguration of a building complex in a private university here, said that his remarks were not about khap bodies specifically, but was against those social bodies taking law into their hands.

"I did not mean Khaps do this, but it was about every social organisation which did not adhere to law and the Constitution", he said while adding that he knew that khaps have been in existence since times immemorial.

When he was specifically asked about his reported reference to controversial decisions of khaps in his Lok Sabha speech, Gowda did not respond.

Notably, Sarvjatiya khap mahapanchayat held a meeting in this regard in Jind on December 13 last. Khap leaders had said that Gowda had dubbed them as 'unconstitutional and illegal bodies'on December 11.

They had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack the minister, if he did not withdraw his controversial statement about them.

Meanwhile, Gowda also reiterated the government's commitment to filling vacancies in courts to deal with pendency of cases and said that they were making best efforts for the digitisation of court documents.